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Captain Steven Croft supplied a dogged lead as Division One leaders Lancashire gritted their way forward on a rain-affected opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Warwickshire at Emirates Old Trafford.

After rain delayed the start until 2pm, with moisture in the air and on the grass, Warwickshire predictably exercised their right to bowl first and soon had the home side in trouble at six for two and then 91 for four.

Their attack applied pressure all day but Lancashire recovered to 196 for four at the close, thanks principally to Croft's unbeaten 82 (150 balls, eight fours, one six).

They could be crucial runs in what is expected to be a low-scoring match on a pitch expected to offer sharp turn later on. Lancashire were not too disappointed about batting first - they will bowl last with three spinners, including Matt Parkinson, a 19-year-old leg-spinner from Bolton, making his first-class debut.

Croft himself would be a fourth spin option but will again keep wicket in the absence of Jos Buttler (England duty) and the injured Alex Davies. He could yet follow up his valuable runs by executing his first stumping in his 137th first-class match.

After heavy overnight and morning rain the Old Trafford groundstaff did brilliantly to enable play by 2pm. Lancashire might have wished those gentlemen were slightly less efficient, however, when they lost both openers before 2.15pm.

Without Chris Woakes (away with England) and Chris Wright (ruled out for at least a month by a side-strain), Warwickshire soon turned to Jeetan Patel who ended a third-wicket stand of 40 between Luke Procter and Alviro Petersen when the latter lapped the spinner's second ball into the hands of Sam Hain at short leg.

Immediately after tea, Patel uprooted Procter (36, 105 balls, five fours) with a beauty which lured the batsman down the track to supply Ambrose's 35th first-class stumping.

Further wickets then would have left Lancashire's 100 per cent record at home in the championship this season in serious jeopardy but Croft and Karl Brown (an unbeaten 41, 98 balls, three fours) batted with great patience, leaving the ball judiciously, to add an unbeaten 105 and turn the game their team's way as a day which began with parts of the Old Trafford outfield underwater ended in glorious sunshine befitting the year's longest day.

Warwickshire all-rounder Rikki Clarke said: "When there is bad weather around and the covers have been on you always think there will be a bit of movement and up front there was a decent amount of swing but I think we were surprised at how slow the wicket is.

"I think generally this season everywhere you go the first 30 overs is quite crucial. The balls haven't really held up that well this year which is a major factor. But we kept coming, kept working hard, kept putting the ball in the right areas and are just a wicket or two away from putting them under a bit more pressure.

"Jeets has played a massive part today, building pressure and creating half-chances and hopefully will have a big say later in the game, and Boyd was really unlucky today, running in into a bit of a breeze and built up really good pace on a slow wicket."